i-mate releases new UI band-aid for Windows Mobile 6.1: i-mate Go

First things first… It’s no TouchFLO 3D. Ok, now that we have that out of the way we do have to say that we’re happy to see another company making an effort to tidy up the Windows Mobile UI a tad. Who knows how far away we really are from Windows Mobile 7 becoming a reality and in the meantime, even many Windows Mobile die hards seem to be losing patience with the very dated look of the OS. Samsung, HTC and Sony Ericsson aren’t the only companies attempting to bandage their mobile OS of choice however, as i-mate has just announced its “i-mate Go” UI. No, it’s not the catchiest name in the game, but those of you looking for high visibility and simple design for your i-mate UI should be pleased. i-mate Go is powered by VITO Winterface of course, a Windows Mobile UI enhancement that essentially started as an iPhone rip off and evolved into a slightly less obvious iPhone rip off. Apparently that subtle change was enough to get the i-mate folks to bite, so job well done. The i-mate Go UI is available for the JAMA 101 along with the Ultimate 6150, 8150, 8502 and 9502, and can be downloaded for free from the i-mate website.

This gold-plating of dogcrap reminds me of Windows 95 being a DOS shell. Waste of code if you ask me.

Dannyboy

So are there any of these UI’s available for download on other phones? I’ve got a Samsung i760, 6.1 update and have SPB MobileShell installed, but looking for something more thorough than that. Anyone know of anything?

Joe The Plumber

FOUR companies had to make up a user interface for WinMo. Microsoft needs to take notice and do something about that. Last time I checked Symbian didnt need a custom UI, nor did blackberry or UIQ

At Joe-The-Unlicensed-Plumber: What do you call the Blackberry Storm (besides a potential trainwreck if it doesn’t clean up its act … QUICK)?

Fact is, if it were not for the fluid UI of the iPhone reaching such historic success [No, I don’t own or currently want one], Symbian wouldn’t be bothering with its new touch interface nor would so many tiny WinMo developers be copycatting. It’s about damned time that someone realize that the ease of use [which does NOT necessarily equate to how many keystrokes or buttons are pressed] is what matters whether business or consumer market.

Joe The Plumber

@Backbeat

My post had nothing to do with the iPhone. The jist of my post is when FOUR cell phone manufacturers have to make a custom UI for a completly different OS something needs to be done about that.

The iphone may have bought it to the light but it doesnt have a place in my post.

backbeat

@Joseph, Joseph, Joseph …

Please say that you grasp that if not for Apple’s success, no cell phone mfr would be bothering.

Besides this, what at least 2 of those companies are doing is licensing a 3rd-party developer’s software with their own special tweak. It’s not as if SPB Mobile Shell or Winterface haven’t been heard of, is it? Say it ain’t so, Joe! ;)

But, to your main point, I agree that MS needs to control this much further than they have thru 6.1. With the leaks about 6.5, it should be obvious that they are addressing it with their own measured response. MS has historically left it to 3rd-party developers to do this type of work because when it is a matter of taste, who is to say what is ‘best’, given the clunky mechanics of the Windows OS? What I prefer to see is drag-and-drop files and folders capability throughout the OS, but that doesn’t satisfy others, now does it? With the rise of Surface, the technology may trickle down eventually, but not in time to please me.

Joe the Plumber

Joseph… Lmao. True the iPhone did set a fire in the mobile industry and made manufacturers step up but…